Suspect, 21, Is Identified in Police Shooting

The man suspected of shooting a Santa Ana undercover narcotics officer in the face Friday was identified Saturday by police as David C. Gonzalez, 21.

The officer, whose name was not released at his own request, suffered a severe mouth injury Friday afternoon when he and four other officers broke through the front door of Gonzalez’s house on West Posey Street, Santa Ana police said. Gonzalez was later shot and wounded as he fled through a back door.

Gonzalez, shot three times, was listed Saturday in serious but stable condition at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, according to police. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer and the sale of narcotics, they said.

The officer was reported in serious but stable condition at another Fountain Valley hospital, police said. A Police Department spokesman said the bullet entered his mouth and remains lodged in his neck.

The gun battle occurred about 1:45 p.m. Friday as police were attempting to serve a search warrant at Gonzalez’s Santa Ana home. According to police, Santa Ana narcotics officers had earlier bought some heroin from Gonzalez. After 12 officers surrounded the house, and two announced that they were police officers and demanded entry, police said.

When the officers heard sounds of running inside the house, one officer broke through the front door with a hand-held battering ram. Police at the scene said the suspect immediately opened fire, hitting the officer holding the battering ram. Other officers returned fire, and the suspect ran to the back door and opened fire on officers in the backyard, police said. The suspect was wounded in the arm, leg and hip.